If Looks Could Kill and Mobsters were both big flops and destroyed any chance he had of becoming a a-list actor. I wonder what his career would've been like had he picked better scripts.
sharemost of his straight to vhs movies were pretty enjoyable films.
shareHe also released an album in Germany. Who does he think he is, David Hasselhoff?
shareIs it true that he turned down the lead in Speed? Imagine what that would have done for his career.
shareIF true, then good. Keanu all the way!!!
shareJan de Bont always wanted KR for the part. He even went on record claiming RG might have read for the part but it was never offered to him, no!
sharehttps://moviechat.org/tt0111257/Speed/60618b19ed89483310da84e5/Richard-Grieco-I-Turned-Down-Speed-The-Movie
Appears to be true, it seems Richard was just really bad at choosing films and was holding out for the right one. That said, I don't think Speed would have been as good with him and probably wouldn't have been as huge. Halle Berry also turned down the role that went to Sandra Bullock.
Great example of an actor confusing the process with an offer. Nobody was offering Richard Grieco a lead in a studio feature in 1993. He didn't turn down the role that Keanu Reeves took.
It's likely the project was around for a while and he turned it down before doing IF LOOKS COULD KILL, which was a huge 1991 bomb (even though it's a fun movie that a lot of critics liked). Its very good for what it is and had a quality director. My guess is that he probably had some heat at studios before the movie was released (because it was good) and nobody went to see it (which made him unemployable as a lead).
https://www.datalounge.com/thread/28225495-richard-grieco-i-turned-down-speed-the-movie
What I find interesting is people and actors think that movies alone would still be big regardless of who the lead is. Personally I never liked Grieco, he just lacked that "X factor" or screen presence. I also can't see him being sympathetic to Bullock's character who is forced to drive the bus with a bomb on it. It requires someone a little more relatable like Reeves.
being success as actor is mostly being right place at right times.
i think richard was very good in 21 jump. him and depp should have been partnered in every episode. very good chemistrys.
He was in the cinematic opus “A Night at the Roxbury”.
share"Should've made smarter career choice"
He had to take what was offered to him. In 1990 when his time came and he was hot from TV fame the films he was placed in bombed and he was forced to linger in TV for the duration. He didn't have a choice. The studio called the short. You work for us or you dont work.